Candidate radial-inflow turbines and high-density working fluids for geothermal power systems

Publication year: 2011brbSource:/b Energy, In Press, Corrected Proof, Available online 11 May 2011brEmilie, Sauret , Andrew S., RowlandsbrOptimisation of Organic Rankine Cycle (ORCs) for binary-cycle geothermal applications could play a major role in determining the competitiveness of low to moderate temperature geothermal resources. Part of this optimisation process is matching cycles to a given resource such that power output can be maximised. Two major and largely interrelated components of the cycle are the working fluid and the turbine. Both components need careful consideration: the selection of working fluid and appropriate operating conditions as well as optimisation of the turbine design for those conditions will determine the amount of power that can be extracted from a resource. In…br Highlights: ► Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) system based on R134a found to produce 33% more net power from a 150°C, 10kg/s hot resource than n-Pentane. ► Of five working fluids investigated, R134a and R143a gave the best performance factor (PF) when considering the performance of the working-fluid/turbine pair. ► Radial-inflow turbines for high-density fluids appear to be good candidates for large scale geothermal plants up to 28MW.